Rising above the rest: A butter that’s better and baking powder win big at 2024 New Zealand Food Awards

Vutter Avo Spreadable by Feliz Wholefoods took out the highest honour of the night, while the other big award, the Product Lifetime Achievement Award, went to iconic Kiwi classic Edmonds Baking Powder.

More than 300 guests attended the New Zealand Food Awards gala dinner at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre to celebrate the excellence and innovation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and beverage producers. It’s one of the most anticipated events in the culinary calendar, where innovators and trailblazers who are helping shape the landscape of New Zealand’s food and beverage industry can come together to connect and celebrate.

Provost Professor Giselle Byrnes opened the evening by emphasising that the Awards symbolise excellence.

“These awards inspire innovation and elevate standards in the pursuit of continuous improvement. The contributions of our entrants shape the future of food in Aotearoa New Zealand, helping to build a vibrant and sustainable industry that reflects culinary creativity and a passion for quality. Looking around the room, I know I’m surrounded by the future of food. Tonight serves as a reminder that it’s more than just the final product. We celebrate all of you who have navigated the many challenges to achieve success.”

Feliz Wholefoods Vutter Avo Spreadable also won the Chilled Award sponsored by Massey University. Founders Aline Fonseca and Patrick Malloch are self-confessed, passionate vegan foodies. Their mission is to bring food back to basics by leaving out unnecessary additives, sourcing ingredients ethically and contributing to a cleaner and kinder future. 

With a vision of providing consumers with clean, honest, kind and delicious plant-based alternatives, the new spread – dubbed ‘your sandwich’s best friend’ – was launched after an extensive 18-month development period. Ms Fonseca, who is a chef herself, created and perfected the recipe.

Ms Fonseca says working with only natural ingredients posed a challenge in ensuring the product’s texture, consistency and shelf-life were up to standard. Vutter Avo Spreadable contains pure cold-pressed avocado oil sourced from the Bay of Plenty, along with coconut oil. It has the same fat content as traditional butter but doesn’t contain any trans fats or ‘bad cholesterol’. It’s proven to be a huge success among consumers and, interestingly, not just with vegans and vegetarians.

Due to the popularity of the Vutter range, particularly Avo Spreadable, which exceeded expectations by being the range’s second-largest seller, the team had to upscale production to meet demand. This was achieved in-house after three years, by engineering and adapting machinery to suit product specifications and needs. During this process, the team were able to alter production to ensure their systems produced zero waste. Conquering this was a huge achievement for Feliz Wholefoods, as being sustainably conscious is part of their ethos as a company.

Ms Fonseca says one of the most technically challenging factors to overcome with the product was the spreadability. Getting the consistency right was key and involved rigorous testing to balance taste while considering different oils and methods. Ultimately, they succeeded in creating a product that is non-hydrogenated and not over heated, and is made without seed oils.

On winning the Supreme Award, Ms Fonseca was overwhelmed, stating,

“It’s incredible and surreal – I’m pinching myself, winning such a significant award like this. How amazing to be recognised for something you love doing. This journey came about because we wouldn’t take no for answer; we believed it was possible to have delicious, sustainable and clean alternatives, not just for vegans and vegetarians, but for everyone. To our supporters, partners, friends and whānau, to everyone who has been on this journey with us, this award is yours. It’s because of you. Thank you.”

Head Judge Kay McMath says the judging panel were impressed with how innovation and sustainability were kept top of mind.

“This product was launched in 2023 and is the only non-butter spread not made from seed oils. Being 40 per cent avocado oil, the judges were impressed by the perseverance in scaling up this product. The intrinsic attributes of this product required close attention to both engineering adaptation and processing parameters, made especially difficult due to the all-natural ingredient constraints. This entry exceeded expectations in taste, texture and spreadability.

“Feliz uses expertise in fat rheology, plus a combination of natural sunflower lecithin and an optimal blend of fats, to achieve the desired mouthfeel and flavour delivery, suitable for a range of potential consumer uses,” Ms McMath says.

Edmonds Baking Powder, an essential ingredient in every Kiwi household, secured the Product Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by AsureQuality. The Award, which was introduced in 2019, celebrates Kiwi products that have withstood the test of time. The consumer loyalty to Edmonds Baking Powder is proof of the impact of its initial innovation.

Goldie Kennerley, Brand Manager at Goodman Fielder, says it’s a real honour to have Edmonds acknowledged as an iconic Kiwi staple.

“We see so much love for the brand through all of our touchpoints, so it’s wonderful to be recognised in an environment like this. As a product, it’s incredibly iconic – it represents people’s childhood memories and the joy that comes from baking, sharing it with others and having those special moments with family. I believe that, combined with having really great products, has been the key to Edmonds’ success. It embodies creativity and ties into Kiwi ingenuity, making it an icon in its own right.”

Another standout beverage producer was Love Muscle, recognised for their tropical delight Protein Water – Sparkling Pineapple, which boasts 12 grams of protein per can from premium whey protein isolate. Love Muscle won both the Beverage Award, sponsored by Woolworths, and the Technical Innovation Award, sponsored by the New Zealand Food Innovation Network.

The technical judges said, “This entrant worked closely with suppliers and their food technologist to overcome a number of technical challenges and meet the needs of their target customer. This convenient ready-to-drink functional beverage hits the mark on several levels, delivering an excellent sensory experience without compromise. It contains a significant level of protein and no sugar, whilst having a clean, pleasant flavour. Despite the protein content, it has no cloudiness, giving it an attractive, clear and sparkling appearance.”

Next Generation Apples won the Primary Sector Award sponsored by New Zealand Food Safety for their Sassy™ apples, a new variety developed for the Asian market through plant breeding techniques.

The judging panel were impressed by the quality and the research and innovation that went into the development of the product. 

“The development of Sassy™ apples was a lengthy process that lasted 12 years, with extensive plant breeding to find exceptional seedlings that produce fruits with the desired product characteristics and qualities.

“The final product, the Sassy™ apple, has crisp texture, high flavour, long storage and shelf life, novel skin and flesh colour, optimal harvest maturity and pest and disease resistance. The long shelf life and pest/disease resistance characteristics of the Sassy apple can potentially minimise product defect, reducing food waste.”

Other category winners included: Good Chow NZ’s New Zealand Wagyu Beef Sauce - Shiitake Mushroom, winners of the Artisan Award sponsored by Cuisine; Pierogi Joint’s – Babushka Pierogi, winners of the Below Zero Award sponsored by FoodHQ; Rescued Kitchen, winner of the Business Innovation Award sponsored by FoodHQ; Harraways’ Fibre Rich Creamy Original Oat Sachets, winner of the Health and Wellbeing Award sponsored by Palmerston North City Council; and Chantal Organics’ Organic Spicy Lentil Couscous & Veg Easy Bowl, winners of the Pantry Award sponsored by Woolworths.

True to the theme of the evening, ‘the future of food’, food rescue organisation KiwiHarvest returned as the nominated charity partner for the highly anticipated marketplace. Guests were invited to purchase donated finalists’ products, some of which are hard to come by, throughout the evening, with all proceeds supporting KiwiHarvest’s mission to reduce food waste around the motu.

The New Zealand Food Awards has celebrated New Zealand’s food and beverage manufacturers since 1987, with a focus on innovation, sustainability and excellence. The awards are open to both small and large food and beverage manufacturers, along with primary food producers, food service providers and ingredient supply companies.

Finalist and winning products earn the right to display the New Zealand Food Awards quality mark, which highlights their technical capability, consumer acceptability, regulatory compliance and food quality and safety to both consumers and industry.

The awards programme is made possible with the support of Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, Woolworths, Cuisine Magazine, New Zealand Food Safety, FoodHQ, New Zealand Food Innovation Network, AsureQuality, Palmerston North City Council, Auckland Conventions Venues & Events, Urban Gourmet, FMCG Business, the NZ Vegetarian Society, Indevin, Panhead and TableHub.

2024 Winners

Artisan Award – Sponsored by Cuisine

Good Chow NZ – New Zealand Wagyu Beef Sauce - Shiitake Mushroom

Below Zero Award – Sponsored by FoodHQ

Pierogi Joint – Babushka Pierogi

Beverage Award – Sponsored by Woolworths

Love Muscle – Protein Water - Sparkling Pineapple

Business Innovation Award – Sponsored by FoodHQ

Rescued Kitchen

Chilled Award – Sponsored by Massey University

Feliz Wholefoods Limited – Vutter ‘Avo Spreadable’

Health and Wellbeing Award – Sponsored by Palmerston North City Council

Harraways – Fibre Rich Creamy Original Oat Sachets

Pantry Award – Sponsored by Woolworths
Chantal Organics – Organic Spicy Lentil Couscous & Veg Easy Bowl

Primary Sector Award – Sponsored by New Zealand Food Safety

Next Generation Apples – Sassy™ apples

Product Lifetime Achievement Award – Sponsored by AsureQuality

Edmonds – Baking Powder

Technical Innovation Award – Sponsored by New Zealand Food Innovation Network

Love Muscle – Protein Water - Sparkling Pineapple

Supreme Award – Sponsored by Massey University

Feliz Wholefood Limited – Vutter ‘Avo Spreadable’